SANTA CLARA, Calif.—About once a week, 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith will fire off a text message to the Denver area. It's target: Broncos linebacker Von Miller, one of Smith's main competitors for the 2012 sack title.

It's not trash-texting. Think of it as one friendly rival reminding another of the score.

The two sack masters became close when they were chasing down quarterbacks in the Big 12, Smith at Missouri and Miller at Texas A&M. The relationship solidified as they went through the 2011 draft process together, and grew some more when they trained together in the offseason.

Miller has the edge over Smith in draft status and hardware. The Broncos selected him second overall last April—the 49ers nabbed Smith five spots later—and eight months later he beat out Smith to become defensive rookie of the year.

Smith, however, had a simple rejoinder whenever the who's-better-than-whom talk began in the offseason: “I got more sacks than you, bro.” Indeed, the sack scoreboard after their rookie seasons read 14-11 1/2 in favor of Smith.

Smith has two big advantages when it comes to rushing the passer.

One is his combination of long arms and powerful hands. Smith's wingspan stretches 83 7/8 inches, befitting a man who stands 7-feet tall, not 6-4. He doesn't beat opponents with speed moves. Instead he uses his arms as cudgels to break through an offensive line, and when he's close enough to pounce few quarterbacks escape his grasp.

His other advantage is the man he plays beside, Justin Smith, one of the strongest defensive players in the league and, when combined with Aldon Smith, a handful for the left side of offensive lines.

“Some guys can get close (to a sack) but not finish,” defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said. “Those guys get close and finish. ... In Aldon's case, he's got length, he's got slipperiness. He's got some strength.”

One of Aldon Smith's texts arrived in Denver a little before midnight on Nov. 19. Smith had just sacked Bears quarterback Jason Campbell 5 1/2 times, setting a Monday Night Football record.

Smith began the evening in third place in the sack standings. During the night he leapfrogged both Miller (currently with 16) and Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (currently with 16 1/2) and has been in first place since. Smith has 19 1/2 through Week 14.

He's chased down a few other notable names in the process. Smith now has 33 1/2 sacks since last season, surpassing Reggie White (31 sacks) and Derrick Thomas (30) for most sacks in a player's first two seasons.

And he has one more marquee name in his sights. With three and a half more sacks he'll break Michael Strahan's single-season record, which Strahan set in 2001 when he sacked Packers quarterback Brett Favre.

Smith's first sack this year came in Week 1 when he stretched out—those long arms again—and tripped fleeing Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers on third down. He also was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for flipping off his helmet, which gave the Packers a first down.

The play was symbolic of Smith's topsy-turvy year.

In January, he was arrested for DUI in Miami Beach after police observed the red Mercedes he was driving swerving in and out of traffic.

In June, he threw a sprawling house party at his home in the hills east of San Jose. It ended with two attendees being shot and Smith winding up in the hospital with minor stab wounds.

He was back in the hospital Sept. 14—two days before the 49ers were set to play the Lions—when the car in which he was a passenger went off a windy road and onto its side at 11:45 p.m.

The driver was rushed to the regional trauma center; Smith escaped with a cut over his eye. He played two days later, finishing with 1 1/2 sacks.

Teammates say those late-night escapades run counter to Smith's sober, workmanlike approach to the game.

Justin Smith, who also played at Missouri, sets the blue-collar tone for the 49ers defense. What's stood out about Aldon Smith's pursuit of the sack record, the older man said, is that it hasn't come at the expense of the 49ers' team-first approach.

“He's a hard worker,” Justin Smith said. “He doesn't hurt us in the run (game), either. I think a lot of times these guys who are chasing all these sacks will hurt you in the run game. He's helped us in the run. He's an all-around great player. That's what you have to have to be a great defense. You can't have guys who are just out there for selfish goals.”

Indeed, Aldon Smith has sloughed off all talk of Strahan's record, saying only that it's secondary to the 49ers' playoff push.

But there's one question that seemed to intrigue him. Asked what he wants more, to pass Strahan or to beat Miller in the sack race, he pauses. Then he smiles.